Spring-wheel.



G. L. WEBB. .l SPRING WHEEL. APPLICATION FILED SEPT 27 191 1,034,046. Patented July 30,1912.

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UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEIoE. y

GEORGE L. WEBB, 0F SPENCER, NORTH CAROLINA, ASSIGNOR 0F ONE-HALF TO MICHAEL L. KISER, 0F SPENCER, NORTH CAROLINA.

SPRING-WHEEL.

sbeeincation of Letters Patent.

Patented Jury 30,1912.

Application led September 27, 1911. Serial No. 651,659.

To all whom t mayconcern Be it known that I, GEORGE L WEBB, a citizen of the United States, residing at Spencer, in the county of Rowan and State of North Carolina, have invented a new and useful Spring-Wheel, of which the following is a specification.

The objects of the present invention are to provide a spring wheel consisting of a body portion and a tread, thebody portion consisting of separable parts, with-in which the tread is yieldingly supported, the construction being such that ready access is had to springs, which, being housed within the constitute a means for upholding the tread. l

vA further object of the invention is to provide a tread of novel and improved form, yieldable at its rim, to permit its spokes to telescope with the body portion of the de` vice, radially of the wheel.

With the above and other objects 1n vlew which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combina? tion and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter descrlbed and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of inven tion herein disclosed can be made within the scopeof what is claimed without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the drawings, Figure l shows in side elevation, a wheel constructed in accordance with the present invention; Fig. 2 is a per! spect-ive view, upon an enlarged scale, of the tread and body portions of the device, these elements being separated; the view being a fragmental one; Fig. 3'is a section/ upon the line A-B of Fig. 1; and Fig. 4 is a perspective of the closure-member, the rernoval of which gives access to the supporting springs. y l

In carrying' out the inventionthere is provided as a primary element, a body denoted generally by the numeral 1. The body 1 embraces a hub 2,.sockets projecting radially from the hub, and webs 4 connecting vthe sockets. The sockets are denoted by the'numeral 3. The body 1, constructed as above described is divided in the plane of' the wheel, so that sockets 3 consist of coperat- -ing parts 5 and 6, the web 4 consisting of co operating parts 7, and t-he hub 2 consisting of coperating parts 9. The mating elements which go to m-ke up the body l may be secured together in any desired manner; in the present instance, the webforming parts 7 are united by securing elements 8, which may be rivets or bolts, distributed about the webs as the taste of the manufacturer may dictate.

Theinvention further includes a plurality of tread sections, each denoted generally by 'the numeral 10. Each tread section 10 includes a spoke 11 carrying a segment-al rim 3 12, each rim 12 being thinned at 011e end to lit slidably within the next adjacent rim, as denoted by the numeral 14. The spokes 11 are received slidably within vthe sockets 3, the sockets and/the spokes preferably being of rectangular cross sect-ion, to prevent the spokes from rotating in the'sockets.

Located within each socket 3 is an abutment plate 15, having an outwardly projecting boss 16, received within a recess 17 fashioned in the inner end of the spoke 11. The plate 15 carries also an' inwardly projecting boss 18, constituting a mounting foi' the outer end of a helical spring 19, which, being located within the socket 3, bears at its inner end against the hub 2. At its outer end each socket 3 is enlarged, as shown at 31. Fitted into the enlarged portion 31 of the socket 3, and surrounding the spoke 11 closely, is a vpacking ring. 20, preferably fashioned from leather. Surrounding the ring 20 and located within the enlarged por'- tion 31 of the socket, is a` split ring 21 which may be compressed about the packing 20, by means of oppositely positioned set screws 22 which are threaded into the portions 31 of the sockets. These screws 22 lie in the plane of the wheel so that they may not catch any object located near the wheel,

when the wheel is rotated.

,1J-In" the parts 6 of the sockets 3 there are penings 23, which provide access to the springs 19. The openings 23 are closed by means of caps 24, one of which is shown in Fig. 4. The sides 25 of thecap 24 are rectangularly disposed with respect to the body portion of the cap, to serve as closures for the open sidesi of the sockets, the elements 25 having rectangularly disposed flanges 26, which flanges over-lap and rest upon the webs '4. The caps 24 are maintained in place by securing elements 27 which, passing through the flanges 26, engage the constituent portions 7 of the web'4.

The rim forming elements 12 are preferably trough shaped, and'in them is seated the tire 'V29 which is preferably fashioned from solid rubber. The outer face of the tire 29 may be Hat, as shown at 30, this flat 'face 30 beinglocated in close vicinity to the outer edges of the rim 12, as shown `in -Fig. 3.- v 4 p When the wheel is in use, the spokes 11 will move telescopically Within the sockets 3, the springs 19 serving to support the spokes yieldingly. Owing to the fact that the adjacent ends of the rim members 12 are over-lapped slidably upon each other, the rim, taken as an entity, will yield sufficiently to permit the spokesll to slide in the sockets 3. Moreover, asthe Wheel rotates, the pressure -against the tread 10,- due to contact with the grou'ndwill be transferred from one of the rim sections 12 to the other, Without jar, and Without strain upon the structure.

Owing to the fact that the body 1 is divided in the-'plane of the'wheei, this portion of the structure may be' manufactured readily and be assembled Without diiiiculty. As stated hereinbefore, any of the caps 24 may beremoved readily,to permit the renewal of any one of the springs 19.

What is claimed is l 1.- In a device of the class described, a body comprising a plurality of radial sockets; atread comprising a yieldable rim, and spokes adapted to register slidably in the sockets; yieldable means in the sockets forsupporting the spokes; a packing surrounding each spoke adjacent the outer end of the socket; a compression member surrounding each packing; and a set screw threaded into each socket,` and adapted to engage the compression member, to contract the same about the packing.

2'. In a device of the class described, duplicate members each comprising a hub, trough-shaped elementsl projecting from the hub, and webs connecting the troughshaped elements with each other and With the hub; means for connecting the Webs together to cause the trough-shaped elements of the members to form sockets; a rim;

spokes projecting from the rim and received within the sockets; spoke-supporting springs located Within the sockets; certain of the trough-shaped members being provided With openings; caps extended across the openings and provided with angularly disposed parts serving as closures for the sides ofthe openings, said parts having an* gularly disposed flanges bearing against the Webs; and securing elements extended through the flanges and engaged with the webs to constitute means for holding the closures in place and to constitute means for holding the Webs together.

. 3. In a device of the class described, a body comprising a plurality of radial sockets; a tread including spokes adapted to register slidably in the sockets; yieldable means in the sockets for supporting the spokes; a packing surrounding the spoke adjacent the outer end of the socket; members interposed between the packings and the sockets; and separate elements, accessible frpm the outside of the sockets, or

actuating said members to cause the same to compress the packing around the spoke.

"In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto aixed my signa- -ture in the presence of two Witnesses.

GEORGE L. WEBB.

Witnesses:

FRANK B. OCHSENREITER, LENA WILLsoN.

Copies of this patent :may be obtained foriIve cents'each, by addressing the Commissioner of atents, Washington, D. C. 

